Chief Ralph Uwazuruike have urged the UN to allow Biafra to separate fron Nigeria

ONITSHA—Leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, yesterday, gave what he termed as genuine reasons the United Nations should allow Biafra to be separated from Nigeria.

One of the reasons, he stated, was that the population of the former Eastern state, now South East and part of South South that make up Biafra land can currently boast of over 10 million people, adding that the Biafran people naturally do not share similar culture and tradition with Hausa-Fulani of the North and Yoruba of the South West as to continue to remain together under one country called Nigeria. 

According to Uwazuruike, another reason was that MASSOB, as a separatist group, had all it takes to run a sovereign state of Biafra, having had enough instruments, structures, flag, currency, coat of arms and defence to assume a status of an existing government. Uwazuruike, who spoke to newsmen, yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, through MASSOB’s Deputy National Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, ahead of the on-going UN General Assembly, renewed his call on the world body to accord a recognition to Biafra as a sovereign state, just as it did to South Sudan which had been accorded a sovereign status since July 9, 2011. He recalled that US had classified Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan as failed states which needed to be divided between 2011 and 2015, adding that it was only from Sudan that South Sudan was carved out on July 9, 2011, remaining Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia. He cited examples of carving out of East- Timor with only a population of about 821,000 from Indonesia on May 22, 2002; carving out of Serbia with a population of about 10 million from Montenegro on July 2006; carving out of South Ossertia from Georgia and carving out of Kosovo from Serbia on February 17, 2008. 

He, therefore, urged UN to grant the sovereignty of Biafra to save the people from further annihilation in Nigeria since there was no basis whatsoever for Biafra people’s continued stay with Nigeria, adding, “Nigeria cannot make any appreciable economic progress until Biafra is allowed to go, particularly now that Lord Fredrick Luggard’s amalgamation of 1914 has since January 1, 2014, expired after 100 years of the amalgamation.” He wondered why the UN had not been proactive in tackling the knotty problems of the oppressed in Nigeria and asked rhetorically: “is UN waiting till things degenerate into full blown war again or to continue as genocide before they will act?”

List of Senators that followed Saraki to Tribunal

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was docked at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu led 28 other senators to the CCT in solidarity with the Senate President.

Senators at the CCT are:
1. Amori Ighoyota (Delta Central)
2. Bassey Albert Akpan (Akwa North East)
3. Abdulrahman Abubakar (Kogi East)
4. Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central)
5. Kabiru Gaya (Kano Central)

SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI (M) AND OTHER LEGISLATORS AT THE CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL HE WENT TO TAKE HIS PLEA IN THE 13-COUNT CHARGE SLAMMED ON HIM OVER ALLEGED FALSE DECLARATION OF HIS ASSETS, IN ABUJA ON TUESDAY (22/9/15)

6. Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North)
7. Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto North)
8. Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara North)
9. Theodore Orji (Abia Central)
Others are Senators
10. Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East)
11. Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central)
12. Ogola Foster (Bayelsa West)
13. Mao Ohuabunwa (Abia North)
14. Gilbert Nnaji (Enugu East)
15. Rose Oko (Cross River North)
16. Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North)
17. Olaka Nwogu (Rivers South East)
18. Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East)
19. Sunny Ogbuoji (Ebonyi South)
20. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger East)
21. Isa Hamma Missau (Bauchi Central)
22. Obinna Ogba (Ebonyi Central)
23. Kaura Tijjani (Famfara North)
24. Clifford Ordia ( Edo Central)
25. Mohammed Ohiare (Kogi Central)
26. Rafui Ibrahim (Kwara South)
27. Gershom Henry Bassey (Cross River South) and
28. Ibrahim Dambaba (Sokoto South).

You can’t mess with Saraki, senators tell Buhari

You can’t mess with Saraki, senators tell Buhari

Senators from across the political divide on Sunday night resolved to defend the Senate under the leadership of Saraki from incursion from what they call “a cabal” in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

To demonstrate their resolve to “ride the tide, rise and fall with Saraki,” no fewer than 50 Senators met in a location in Jahi District in the Fed­eral Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja in a marathon meeting which started on Saturday and ended on Sunday evening.

The meeting, which alleg­edly involved conference calls from other Senators out of the country in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America vowed “to protect the institu­tion of the Senate from a gang of cabals.”

Daily Sun gathered that the meeting, which was presided over by a member of the Sen­ate leadership, saw angry Sen­ators point accusing fingers in the direction of “some cabals in the APC with no regard for due process.

“We met on Saturday and at the meeting, we discov­ered that the legal war against Saraki was not done with re­spect for the rule of law. There was no due process in the charges leveled against him at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

“We decided that everything must be done to deal deci­sively with the cabal. I had cause to explain to them that President Buhari had no hand in the war against the Senate President.

“They wanted to embarrass the Senate but we will let them know that we will sink or swim with Saraki…He will be our president, even in jail. There will be no leadership change; if that is what they are expecting…”

The meeting ended yester­day night with moves to pass a confidence vote on Saraki when the Senate resumes in plenary, it was gathered.

Regardless, it also emerged yesterday some Senators met last Wednesday, immediately the perjury charges levelled against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) be­came public.

“Initially, some of the PDP Senators said they should re­spond by convening an emer­gency session where a mo­tion would be sponsored by a member from the opposition to alert Nigerians to the fact that the charges against Saraki was a witch hunt. But, wise counsel prevailed because some thought the move could boomerang on the Senate.”

Besides, some ranking Sen­ators may have decided not to wade into the matter officially because “some of us have anti-corruption cases in court. This is not the best time to be seen shouting about Saraki’s travails.” Another set of Sena­tors reiterated that they are “businessmen and any noise now may jeopardise such business interests. “You don’t fight government and win,” another member from the South said.

In a related development, some Senators are expected to prevail on Saraki to discard “the winner-takes-all attitude” and implement the composi­tion of Senate leadership let­ter sent to him by the party.

“We know the mood of the party; they want some Sena­tors in the leadership…It’s time to allow party supremacy in some areas,” a Senator dis­closed.

A meeting to that effect, it was learnt, held at a house in the Jahi District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) last week. A source said Senators mulled another confidence vote “to show that Senators are with Saraki…We will not allow anyone or cabal think they can rubbish the Senate as an institution and get away with it.”

In a related development, Saraki, it was gathered, is reportedly looking to the Ju­diciary as the last resort to evade arrest and prosecution today.

Daily Sun gathered that last Friday, soon after the CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, issued a bench warrant for his arrest, a flustered Senate President immediately left his office in the new Senate wing of the National Assembly.

A ranking Senator, how­ever, disclosed on Sunday evening that “Saraki may not even show up in the CCT today. I got to know that the appeal against his arrest may have been served on the CCT chairman same day (on Friday); even though Daudu promised to personally show up with him at the tribunal today…” More revelations, however, indicate that Sara­ki’s legal counsels, M. A. Mahmud and Joseph Daudu, former President of the Ni­geria Bar Association (NBA) were prepared for “any even­tuality” during the hearing at the CCT last Friday. A source privy to the arrangement dis­closed that,”on Friday, when they were in court, both counsels to the Senate Presi­dent, “having read the body language of the CCT chair­man, immediately went into action. They approached the Appeal Court and got an ap­peal against his arrest ready… in fact, between 2:30pm and 3:00pm on Friday, the ap­peal was ready, filed imme­diately and the Chief Regis­trar signed and took it to the Court of Appeal where it was stamped and possession was taken of the Certified True Copy (CTC). “That was why it was difficult to carry out the bench warrant issued on him by the CCT chairman.”

On Wednesday, Septem­ber 16, the Federal Govern­ment, through the CCB, filed a 13-count charge against Saraki, accusing him of false declaration of assets includ­ing failure to declare some properties in the highbrow Maitama district of Abuja and Ikoyi, Lagos.

Mrs Aisha Buhari behind close of chapel

Mrs Aisha Buhari

As controversy over the closure of the children’s wing of the Villa Chapel located inside Nigeria’s presidential quarters rages on, DAILY POST has uncovered fresh facts on the matter.

On Sunday, our correspondent was given an insight into the power play that has been going on inside the villa for weeks by Borno-based Pastor, Kallamu Musa Dikwa.

Dikwa, it could be recalled, made the allegation that President Goodluck Jonathan gave the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) the sum of N7billion to support his re-election bid.

The Pastor, who is also Executive Director, Voice of Northern Christian Movement, made the disclosure following an earlier allegation by Rivers State ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi that CAN received N6billion.

In a chat with DAILY POST on the Villa Chapel saga, he expressed dismay that President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to act on the fate of the children’s church despite the nationwide outcry.

Earlier in the month, presidential adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina denied the closure of the church by tweeting photos from service held on Sunday, September 6, 2015.

A tweet via his handle, @FemAdesina said: “President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) orders Aso Villa Chapel shut? There is no such thing. It’s only a rumour spawned by fecund imagination gone into overdrive. PMB respects freedom of worship.”

However, speaking, Musa Dikwa challenged the presidency to also release most recent photos of the children’s church.

“Let them not deceive Nigerians. I can confirm to you that that section of the church has been converted to a storage room by Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I don’t want to think that the President authorized her action, Nevertheless, he should have done something by now because it is a serious matter.”

Asked to state what items were being kept at the building, he responded: “I really don’t know, but I was reliably informed that she brought some items to the villa and could not get a place to keep them.

“To our dismay, she directed some staff to move the items inside the children’s church and then ordered it locked. The security operatives that initially blocked its entrance did so with her knowledge and I dare her to publicly deny.

“What my source told me is that Mrs Buhari said the children’s church is a safer place to keep the items. This is not right. Why would she insist on that particular building in a place as big as the villa? Is she saying there is no other safe place apart from a place of worship?”

The media had reported that due to the shut, the kids now use the office of the Chaplain, Pastor Joseph Sheyi Malomo, for their normal service.

But Musa Dikwa, called on Buhari to take action immediately to forestall disunity among Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria.

“He promised to unite Nigeria; he promised not to marginalize any religion but what is going on inside Aso Rock is different.

“People like me that were security risks for throwing our weight behind President Buhari are now at risk again because of this action of his wife.

“I have lost count of the number of calls I have received since the news concerning the children’s church broke out. While some are threatening me, some are mocking me that I and others endorsed Buhari who seemed to have turned blind eye to this act.

“They are saying ‘see the man you said will bring change, are you seeing what is happening now. We hope you are satisfied. After all, we warned you but you didn’t heed our advise.'”

Continuing, the cleric recalled how he told the world that President Jonathan gave CAN N7billion.

“It is because we were tired of the corruption going on; we believed in the change mantra. So you can guess what I am going through in the hands of those who alleged that Buhari had a hidden Islamic agenda”, he added.

Musa Dikwa said he, however, believes Buhari will call his wife to order to avoid further damage.

He urged the president to remember the vow he made to Christian leaders he met before the presidential election in March.

The cleric further cautioned Buhari against punishing Christians for the refusal of CAN to grant him audience after he made the request in the build-up to the general polls.

“CAN is a body of Christian leaders, but it doesn’t even form 0.1 percent of the entire Christian community in the country.

“Besides, I have the document containing his own statement. He gave clear assurances and we will hold him by his words because no religion is greater than the other,” Musa Dikwa declared.

Mr. Adesina did not take the call by our correspondent, even as he was yet to respond to a text message to confirm the true state of the children’s church as at the time of filing this report.

Buhari’s auto policy and catalyst role of Innoson

AS President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration begins to take shape, definitely one vital sector that will demand and indeed attract their immediate attention is the automotive sector.

The reason is not far–fetched considering the numerous benefits inherent in revitalising such strategic sector.

Apart from being a job creating avenue, the automotive sector will readily offer the much needed technology transfer to Nigerians, as well as have a multi dimensional impact on the overall economy.

An example can be cited with the INNOSON Vehicle Manufacturing Company which has over the last ten years led a revolution in the Nigerian vehicles manufacturing sector being the first indigenous motor manufacturing.

Before the emergence of INNOSON, all the vehicles manufacturing plants in Nigeria, including PAN, ANAMCO, VON had folded up. The closures came with loss of jobs for thousands of Nigerians, with the attendant negative impact on the nation’s economy.

In fact, it can be said that over the last thirty years or more, Nigeria has remained an import – dependant economy as far as automobiles are concerned. The implication of this is that with our ostentatious usage of foreign made vehicles, we created job opportunities for citizens of those countries from where we import the vehicles.

The countries that fall in this category are Germany (Mercedes), Japan (Toyota), America (Ford), Sweden (Volvo), India (Tata), and South Korea (Kia).

With INNOSON’S emergence as the first indigenous motor manufacturer, and the federal government’s policy of patronising locally-made vehicles, we began to witness a paradigm shift in a way that most automobile manufacturers have started setting up their plants in Nigeria. Following from INNOSON’S patriotic example was Nissan, Toyota, and the latest is Ford Motors USA.

This is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, and while most Nigerians continue to applaud INNOSON for the patriotic venture, it is hoped that the present administration will go a step further to patronise the INNOSON Group as a way of promoting job creation, reduce capital flight and tap into the opportunity of acquiring technological knowledge in motor manufacturing.

It is gratifying to know that President Buhari has made diversification of the nation’s economy one of his administration’s major policies. One way of realising the objective is to support indigenous automobile manufacturers like INNOSON.

Of course, the federal government intends to promote agriculture as another foreign exchange earner, yet it is important that we consolidate on the advantages of utilizing the automotive sector to save scarce foreign exchange earnings, and at the same time earn more through the export of made in Nigeria vehicles.

INNOSON group has in its ten years of existence employed over fifteen thousand Nigerians at its Nnewi Plant in Anambra state, and it is a well known fact that the private sector can play a key role in alleviating the unemployment scourge plaguing the nation.

While it is acknowledged that government is the main employer of labour, but this can only be said about a country like Nigeria where government has its hands in all pies. Ordinarily, the private sector ought to be the drivers of the economy by creating jobs openings, while government provides the policy frameworks.

It is therefore being advocated that the federal government – INNOSON partnership in the area of job creation and skills acquisitions be sustained.

This can be realised by the government availing them of incentives such as tax relief, import duty waivers, access to low interest loans and outright patronage of their range of products.

By so doing, production will reach optimal level and more Nigerians will be gainfully employed. Secondly, with clear government support, INNOSON will be able to expand their manufacturing plants and this will lead to job creation and faster industrialisation of the country.

As it stands today, INNOSON is the only indigenous auto brand promoting Nigeria in other African countries; where their vehicles are being used. In most advanced countries of the world, their countries are often identified and respected based on the brand names of automobiles manufactured in their countries.

For example, USA is synonymous with Ford and Chevrolet, UK – Rolls Royce, Sweden – Volvo, Germany – Mercedes, South – Korea – KIA, India – Tata among others.

Therefore, it is gratifying that President  Buhari has undertaken to restore Nigeria’s lost glory, and one of the major ways of realising this objective is to promote Nigerian brands abroad, and INNOSON is suitable for the purpose.

Facebook ranks Nigeria, Kenya top as active mobile users in Africa

Facebook has ranked Nigerian and Kenya top among the countries in Africa as the number one frontier-market for the medium in terms of mobiles to like, share and upload content on the social network.

Nigeria has monthly users of 15 million on Facebook and following behind is Kenya 4.5 million users in 30 days

The numbers, the first Facebook has published show the two nations as important entry points on a continent of nearly one billion people.

“Mobile is not a trend; it’s the fastest adoption of disruptive technology in history of communication,” said Nunu Ntshingila, Facebook’s head of Africa, in a statement.

“Facebook said its active user population in Africa grew 20 percent to 120 million in June from 100 million in September last year. A large portion of these users were in North Africa.”

“Nigeria had 15 million monthly active users as of June 30 this year, all of them using mobiles to like, share and upload content on the social network. In Kenya, 95 percent of the 4.5 million monthly active users did so via mobiles”

“Facebook has nearly 20 million users in major African markets Nigeria and Kenya, statistics released by the social network showed on Thursday, with the majority using mobile devices to access their profiles.”

Facebook opened its first African office in Johannesburg in June as the continent’s growing population and relatively low levels of internet access present a large untapped market for the social network to earn advertising revenue.

South Africa has 12 million monthly active Facebook users, the data showed, and Facebook says with its strong advertising partnerships in Africa it would use the new office in Johannesburg to expand its business across the continent.

Dangote Cuts Cement Price By N300 Per Bag

Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest producer of the building material, has cut prices of cement in its home market Nigeria in an attempt to boost cement consumption.

The price cuts to its 3X cement brand by N6 000 ($30.23) per metric tonne, translating to N300 reduction per 50kg bag, allows Dangote to still achieve strong returns, CEO Dangote Cement, Onne van der Weijde, said in a Lagos.

Meanwhile, a survey across the country revealed that distributors and retailers are beginning to implement the new price regime, resulting in gradual decline in the price of cement across the country.

A retailer in Benin City, Edo State, Sebastian Iwemgiwe, noted that the essential building which was sold at N1,850 per 50kg bag has, since last week, come down to N1,650 per bag and is likely to decline further.

The claim of price reduction was corroborated by other retailers, including Opeloyeru Eniola in Ojodu area of Lagos State, who said: Although I am still selling his old stock, I am aware that the price for the next supply has been reduced.

While analysts believe that the on-going African operation expansion must have given Dangote cement a leeway to bring down domestic price of the product, the cement giant is also reportedly hoping the lower prices will help increase export sales to neighbouring nations where it has no presence yet.

Team head, Chapel Denham, Tajudeen Ibrahim, had in reaction to the reports of price reduction by Dangote Cement said: “We expect the other cement producers such as WAPCO, UNICEM and AshakaCem in the Lafarge Africa Group and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, to cut cement prices, being price-takers in the industry,”

“The sales volumes of the cement industry may however not rise on the back of the price cut, as the relationship between price and consumption is weak,” said Ibrahim.

According to the analyst, the drag in infrastructure developments due to government’s weakening fiscal strength and pressured consumer wallets will slow down the demand for building materials, industry watchers say.

Gross domestic product expanded 2.35 per cent on an annual basis, compared with 3.96 per cent a quarter earlier, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS).

“Competition has no choice but to bring down the price because Dangote is the market leader,” said Pabina Yinkere, head of research at Lagos-based Vetiva Capital Management.

The latest earnings update showed the four major players in the industry are in a growth spurt, despite the economic doldrums bedeviling consumer goods firms.

Industry players expect the rapid urbanization to increase the demand for building materials.

Drama as power failure disrupts Senate probe on power

ABUJA — The ongoing probe of the power sector from 1999 till date by the Senate ad hoc committee was characterized by drama and confusion yesterday, as the proceeding was disrupted by power failure eight times.

Yesterday’s proceeding started at about 11:30a.m. and ended abruptly at 4p.m. due to about 15 minutes of power failure at intervals, for eight different times, from 2p.m. when the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, was making a submission on behalf of the various electricity companies.

Jonathan, Yardadua and Obasanjo

The situation forced operators from the power sector to make use of their phone light and video camera light to make presentation before the committee.

Despite the situation, the lawmakers continued with the proceedings without microphones and other electrical appliances needed. The cameramen, on their part, had to use their camera lights to capture the meeting.

Following the power outage, the committee had no choice but to resort to the use of rechargeable  lamps and camera lights

Chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Kyari (APC, Borno North) also had a dose of the power failure as he was interrupted while commenting on issues raised by some of the stakeholders.

‘It’s sabotage’

Moved by the development, Senator Kyari, after the session, told journalists that the committee would investigate what led to the power outages during the session, alleging that it was sabotage aimed at frustrating the committee.

He vowed that the public hearing proper on the sector would hold in due course, adding “the power outages experienced here today (yesterday) further underscores the relevance of this committee at this critical time, but we shall investigate whether or not they are deliberate.”

Other stakeholders of the power sector, who were caught in the power outage, while making presentations, were the Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Benjamin Ezreal Dikki; Chairman of National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi and some of the Managing Directors of electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs.

Investors state challenges

Earlier, investors in the sector in their various submissions lamented that they were running it at great losses on monthly basis due to myriad of factors.

In his presentation, the Managing Director of Enugu Distribution Company, Mr. Robert Dickerman, who spoke on behalf of all DISCOs, disclosed that the entire industry was being run at a deficit of N20 billion per month, which he argued was attributable to the fact that over 50 percent of electricity consumers were not metered and about 30 percent were not even on the billing system of the service providers.

He also alleged that the N100 billion subsidy injection into the sector promised by the Federal Government was not fulfilled.

The CEO, Ibadan Electricity Generating Company, Adeoye Fagbembi, who spoke on behalf of the six GENCOs, said transmission loss between them and the electricity distributors have been a big issue.

The BPE Director- General, Benjamin Dikki, in his submission, said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has paid N5 billion of the N100 billion promised by the government, just as he admitted that the sector was presently being run at a loss by the investors, adding that the losses at initial stages were envisaged as embedded in the performance agreement reached with the investors.

50% of Nigerians don’t use meter

In his own presentation, Chairman of NERC, Dr. Amadi, who refuted allegations that the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, will soon be privatized by the Federal Government, revealed that over 50 percent of Nigerians do not have meters, thereby reducing revenue generation potentials of distribution company.

Amadi noted that lack of meters, which was a major problem, had left many Nigerians saddened, saying that one megawatt of power cost as much as $1 million.

… on power distribution

He said: “We are working hard so that none of the discos fail. Consumers are very angry about lack of meter. Only less than 50 percent of Nigerians have meters. It is one of the major problems. In the past decade, we did not invest in metering.

“A moderator brought the idea of paying for meter since customers cannot wait for too long; the customers can pay for their own meter but when the new owners came, they had to take some time to understand the way it goes.”

He agreed that metering is the major problem in the power sector because it is more expensive although it will help the country save revenue.

According to him, “each time we hit 4500 megawatts, people always say that the electricity has improved and there is always a level of comfort. We also want to put more pressure on the distribution companies and they want to see Mgbede generation.

“What has delayed many of these companies till now is because the licences could not get financed.

“In the next 20 years we will be able to have about 2000 megawatts.”

He concluded by saying that the power sector was getting better as there is need for improvement in capital investment, which should come from the private sectors.

A-Ibom Govt House invasion: Nigeria sliding into dictatorship under Buhari —PDP GOVS

Yenagoa—The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governors, yesterday, lamented that Nigeria was sliding into dictatorship under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Jonathan Goodluck and PDP governors in BayelsRising from its meeting held at the Bayelsa State Governor’s office, Yenagoa, the governors under the auspices of the PDP Governors Forum condemned the invasion of Akwa Ibom State Government House by operatives of the Department of the State Services, DSS.

The PDP governors led by their chairman and Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Olusegun Mimiko, in a communiqué, said that the invasion was against the spirit, ethos, values and fundamental tenets of democratic norms and tradition, more so with the existence of a duly elected and sworn in governor of the state.

He said: “We insist that the trend must stop henceforth. No democracy survives without a viable opposition in any part of the world and we must also remember to remind the All Progressives Congress, APC that they are the real beneficiaries of the liberal democratic ethos of the PDP.

“We again advise the DSS to preoccupy itself with the task of ensuring internal security and desist from daily intimidation of members of the opposition. We implore the international community, the civil society organisations and human rights activists to call the APC-led Federal Government to order and to insist that it respects the well entrenched democratic tradition.

“We all have a duty to prevent what looks to us like a steady slide of this country into dictatorship.”

Mimiko, who said that the PDP governors were alarmed and shocked by such desecration, noting that it was an assault on democracy.

He said that what happened in Akwa Ibom State posed serious danger to the country’s fledgling democracy.

IBB Threatens to Expose Buhari’s Corruption

Former President, Muhammadu Buhari

Former President Ibrahim Babangida has threatened to expose the corruption of Former President Mohammed Buhari especially as relates to his tenure as Minister of Petroleum.

Buhari was appointed Minister of Petroleum in 1976 under the Murtala/Obasanjo administration. Not much is known about any scandals that occured during his tenure as Minister, but there are rumors of the mysterious disappearance of US$2.8 Billion from the NNPC account in Midlands Bank in the United Kingdom, during Buhari’s stewardship.

Now that IBB has threatened to expose him, it lends a certain credibility to the  rumors indicting Buhari of grand graft.

Babangida who released a statement through his media adviser, Prince Kassim Afegbua said, “On Gen. Buhari, it is not in IBB’s tradition to take up issues with his colleague former President. But for the purpose of record, we are conversant with Gen. Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou attitude.

“He is a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister. Secondly, he also presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund ( PTF) which records we also have. We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios he headed. Or, we will help him to expose his. “records of performance during those periods. Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones. Gen. Buhari should be properly guided.”

Asset Declaration: Buhari declares 270 cattle, mud houses, N30m, others • Osinbajo worth $900,000, N94m and more

According a statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President has about N30m in his only bank account with the Union Bank Plc, while the Vice President has a balance of N94m, $900,000 and 19,000 pounds in his bank accounts.“President Buhari also has two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano and the other in Port Harcourt. He is still trying to trace the location of the Port Harcourt land.’’

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday made public details of their assets, which had been declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Shehu’s statement said the President had shares in Berger Paints, Skye Bank and Union Bank and a total of seven houses, comprising two mud and a standard house in Daura, his hometown; two homes in Kaduna, one in Kano and one in Abuja.

Also belonging to the President are two undeveloped plots of land in Kano and Port Harcourt. The President did not ascertain the location of the Port Harcourt land, according to the statement.

Buhari also has an orchard and a ranch in Daura with 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of economic trees in them.

But the statement did not disclose the worth of the landed property and other assets, which both the President and the Vice President had declared.

Shehu said the President had no oil well and foreign bank accounts.

Buhari was also said to have declared that he had several cars, two of which he said were bought with his savings and the others supplied to him by the Federal Government in his capacity as a former Head of State.

“The rest were donated to him by well-wishers after his jeep was damaged in a Boko Haram bomb attack on his convoy in July 2014,” the statement added.

For the Vice-President, Shehu said Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, declared a four-bedroomed residence at Victoria Garden City in Lagos; three-bedroomed flat in Ikoyi, Lagos; two bedroomed flat at the Redempion Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; and a two-bedroomed mortgage property in Bedford, England.

The vice president operates his Simmons Cooper Law firm, which is based in Lagos and has shares in MTN Nigeria, Octogenerium Ltd., Windsor Grant Ltd., Tarapolsa Vistorion Ltd., and Aviva Ltd., all of which are based in Lagos.

Osinbajo is also said to have one Infinity 4-Wheel Drive SUV, one Mercedes Benz and a Prado Jeep.

Shehu’s statement read in part, “The documents submitted to the CCB, which officials say are still being vetted and will soon be made public, show that prior to being sworn in on May 29, President Buhari had less than N30m to his name. He also had only one bank account, with the Union Bank. President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no oil wells.

“The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) who had been a successful lawyer before his foray into politics declared a bank balance of about N94m and $900,000 in his bank accounts.

“President Buhari declared however that he had shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank.

“The documents also revealed that President Buhari had a total of five homes, and two mud houses in Daura. He had two homes in Kaduna, one each in Kano, Daura and in Abuja. One of the mud houses in Daura was inherited from his late older sister, another from his late father. He borrowed money from the old Barclays Bank to build two of his homes.

Reacting to the declaration of assets by Buhari and Osinbajo, a lawyer, Carol Ajie, said the documents had loopholes.

Ajie said Buhari and his deputy needed to “make clear if they have liabilities or not, bearing in mind that the Constitution places emphasis on assets and liabilities.”

The lawyer said, “We need a bit more on specificity on some of the items such as shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank, considering the length of time between April when he won the election and now, a period of six months for assets valuation of his seven houses located in Daura, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja.

“We have no addresses on these houses and what type of houses-bungalow, block of flats or duplexes- and estate valuer’s estimates. Same for his farms, orchard and a ranch in Daura, etc.

Another legal practitioner, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, said the President had yet to complete the declaration “as it is the law that his spouse is not a civil servant; the spouse must declare her asset in the same manner as done by President Buhari.”

“The same goes for his Vice. As it is, there may be likelihood of violation of the law on declaration of assets,” he added.

President of the Nigerian Voters Assembly, Mashood Erubami, said the declaration signified leadership by example.

Erubami said, “This is leadership by example. The declaration will leave no one in doubt about the commitment of the Buhari/Osinbajo administration to govern transparently and be accountable to Nigerians before and after office. With the declaration of the President, nobody will be spared from not declaring his or her assets in accordance with the laws of the land.

“It is now left to the Code of Conduct Bureau to vet the declared assets in order to ensure that the assets are real and appropriately valued. The assets must not be overvalued, and must be vetted to have been fairly acquired with truly extended current market value. Declaration of assets is a precondition for selfless, transparent and accountable government, which must not be sparing and selective.